Combination pliers and wire-splicer.



G, D. KENNEDY.

COMBINATION PLIERS AND WIRE SPLICER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13'. 196.

15212 501, Patented Jan. 16,1917.

WITNESS.

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GEORGE D. KENNEDY, OF SONOEA, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINATION PLIEBS AND WIBE-SPLICER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

Application filed May 13, 1916. Serial No. 97,283.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. KnnNnnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sonora, in the county of Tuolumne, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Pliers and lVire-Splicers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon,

-which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in tools commonly used by wire workers, especially linemen, in handling wire and the splicing and joining of the same, the object of the invention being to produce a pair 0 pliers combined with a structure whereby one, two and three wires may be spliced together in a rapid, effective and neat manner. The present day common method of splicing wires is to hold the wires with one pair of pliers and then turn the ends of one wire around the adjacent wire by means of another pair of pliers or similar tools. This method is very awkward and consumes a great deal of time in making each splice. By the use of my improved tool this operation can be performed very rapidly and also in an absolutely neat and efi'ective manner.

I wish also to call atention to the fact that in the handling of copper wires commonly used on electrical power lines the wires become nicked or marred so that they are inclined to be easily broken, and it is not an uncommon occurrence that by the old method of splicing this often occurs, but it will be practically avoided by the use of my improved tool.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of suclr structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view opposite to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a rear plan view. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on a line X-X of Fig. 2. Fig. (3 is a view showing the splicing as it would appear when made by my improved tool.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, my improved tool comprises two handle members 1 and 2 terminating in two extended body members 3. and 4 respectively engaging each other in face to face contact, such body members being pivoted together, as at 5, and having extended jaws 6 and 7 respectively forming the pliers. The inner faces of the jaws 6 and 7 meet in face to face contact where they are provided with a cut out recess 8 terminating in bottom cutters 9 to be used as wire cutters when desired.

At the bottom end of one of the handles 1 and 2 is an inclosed ring or clip 10 adapted to project across and engage the other handle member when the same are in closed position to hold them in that position so that the two handles may then be used as a unit for a. purpose as will appear. \Vhen the said two handles are in closed position the body members 3 and 4 are brought into face to face relation and form a substantially unitary member which is provided with a plurality of centrally disposed orifices 11 which are of various sizes to receive the different sized wires. Each of the holes 11 terminates in an enlarged annular recess 12 disposed centrally of the unitary members 3 and 4.

The recess 12 communicates with a laterally extending groove 13 on one side, which groove terminates in a counter-sunk portion or recess l3 which extends substantially at a tangent to the adjacent side of the recess 12. On the opposite side of the recess 12 is a similar projecting groove 14 having a counter-sunk portion 15 extending at a substantial tangent to the opposite side of the recess 12 to that at which the recess 13 extends. The depth of the slot 14 immediately adjacent the recess 12 is the same as the depth of the slot 13, but this depth of the said slot 14 gradually lessens toward its upper end where itsdepth differs from the depth of the slot 13 by an amount equal to the diameter of the wire which would be received in such slots, all for a purpose as will presently appear. There may be one or more of the holes 11 and corresponding parts in the tool, and these parts may be of various sizes as is readily apparent according to what sized wire is to be worked upon with the tool.

In practice when two wires are to be spliced together, as shown in Fig. 6, the two ends of the wire are disposed adjacent each other in a parallel manner and midway between the ends to be spliced, as at a, they are grasped by pliers or other suitable 110161: ing tools. The projecting end b of one of the wires is then bent at right angles to the parallel wire. The handles 1 and 2 are then opened to receive the parallel wire in the hole 11, and the one which is bent at right angles is then projected into one of the slots 13 or 1 1, and for the purpose of this description we will assume it is the slot 13. The handles 1 and 2 are then clamped together as a unit by means of the member 10 and the entire tool is then rotated around the wire which is projected through the hole 7 11. The end of the wire extending free from the pliers at a will be drawn and rotated around the other wire projected through the hole 11. As said wire is rotated it is guided to proper position by following the bottom of the recess 13 and the circular sides of the recess 12. This same operation is then had with the free end of the wire on the other side of the point a, only this time it would be the other wire which would be wound so that when the above operation was completed the free ends of each wire would be wound around the adjacent wire so completing the splicing as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

If three wires were to be spliced together the operation would be the same with the exception that there would be two free ends to "be bent at right angles, these would be bent oppositely with respect to each other, and one would be fitted into the slot 18 and Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by'addres'sing the wise construct them so that there would be no marring of the wire.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claim. 7 7

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

A wire working tool comprising pivoted jaws arranged for face to face contact and 'with a transverse orifice extending transversely between and formed in the contact-' ing faces, the orifice terminating in a circular recess having a pair of slots e'xtend- 7 ing laterally therefrom, one slot being the same depth as the recess and the other varying steadily in depth from its inner end at' the bottom of the recess'to the edge of the tool where it terminates at a depth less than the depth of the recess by an amount equal to the diameter of the wire to be worked on.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE D. KENNEDY.

" Commissioner of Patents;

Washington, I). G. 

